vi GENERAL PREFA CE
separate volumes. No less considerable are the changes that
have been made in methods of compilation. Apart from the
Historical volume and a few other chapters of 'The Indian
Empire,' the whole of the work has been written by officials
in India under orders of the Indian Government; and every
page has been submitted to the criticism of the several
Administrations or Departments concerned.
The task of editorial supervision has been shared between
India and England. In India the first outlines were drawn
up in consultation with Sir Herbert Ris!ey, K.C.I.E., at the
time when he was Census Commissioner. On his nomina-
tion to be Secretary in the Home Department, Mr. W. S.
Meyer, C.I.E., was appointed editor for India; and to him are
due the detailed regulations under which the greater part of
the work has been executed, the general scheme of the Atlas,
and the primary revision of most of the chapters dealing with
India as a whole. When he, in turn, was promoted to be
Secretary in the Finance Department, he was succeeded by
Mr. R. Burn, who has carried out the primary revision of
most of the other volumes, and otherwise completed the work
that had to be done in India.' The editor in England
throughout has been Mr. J. S. Cotton, who was closely
associated with Sir W. W. Hunter in both the former editions.
On him, in subordination to a committee appointed by the
Secretary of State, has rested the responsibility for the final
form of the work, and the duty of seeing the whole through
the press.
The volumes of 'The Indian Empire' have been entirely
rewritten, with the exception of the history of the British
period, where the personal impress of Sir W. W. Hunter's
knowledge and style is preserved. The principle adopted
was to entrust each subject to an author best qualified to deal
with it either by special study or official experience. The
names of the authors are usually appended to their chapters;
but in other cases the text, as finally approved, can be
1The Indian editors desire to acknowledge specially the services of Mir. V.
Krishna Menon, their head clerk.